Artists' Portraits & Self-Portraits

Berthe Morisot with a bouquet
of violets (1872), Manet

Self-Portrait (1885),
Morisot

French painter, Berthe Morisot was a young subject of Édouard Manet, here dressed in all black. Years later, Morisot painted this rather impressionistic self-portrait using more muted colors and perhaps showing her age.

Which portrait do you like better?

Self-Portrait with palette
(1878-9), Manet

Manet himself then painted himself holding a palette and paint brush, again using dark colors. Does it seem odd that he is dressed formally and with a black fedora, tie, and jacket?

Self-Portrait with a Beret
(1886), Monet

Claude Monet sported a beret in this early self-portrait. It surprises me how only a bit of blue accompanies a rather boring color palette for Monet's portrait. Note how as a much younger man Monet can paint with full focus and precision, as opposed to later in life when his eyesight began to fade.

Self-Portrait (1888), Gauguin

Paul Gauguin also painted several self-portraits. Here is the self-portrait that Van Gogh challenged him to paint, along with his painting of mutual friend, Émile Bernard (in the background). The reference to Les Misérables refers to Gauguin's insistence that his life was like that of the book's hero, Jean Valjean. The Post-Impressionist livened up his portrait with a yellow floral background in homage to its recipient, his friend Vincent.

Self-Portrait with palette (1890),
Cezanne

Paul Cezanne did his share of self-portraits, including this one 'with palette'. What I enjoy about this is how Cezanne, who has been identified as a Post-Impressionist, makes use of multiple colors in his palette, face and neck, and even as decoration (and balance) on the reverse side of the canvas he's painting.

So much livelier and more engaging than Manet's rather monochromatic composition in brown and black! 

Self-Portrait #1 (1894), Beaux

I actually prefer this realistic self-portrait by Cecilia Beaux to Morisot's impressionistic portrait. I enjoy the use of earthtones and the treatment of lights and darks, highlighting her face. While the golden-brown background is what one might see in a professional photograph, she has created offsetting visual interest with the striped pattern of her dress.

Somehow, I prefer the character of older self-portraits of Renoir to those of the younger man. Here, his palette is less colorful than a typical Renoir, though the facial highlights seem to be channeling Rembrandt. I like Renoir's choice of warmer tones for the face and background. I especially like his pork-pie style hat! No fedora or palette in this one though!!

After visiting a Travel and Adventure Expo in Seattle this month, I became interested in Kenya. Besides the attraction of a safari for viewing animals in the wild, I think a visit to Kenya would provide a window into the culture (and art) of Kikuyu, the Bantu people native to Central Kenya.

Kikuyu Man (1908-10),
Gallen-Kallela

This portrait of a Kenyan man is by Akseli Gallen-Kallela and was painted early in the 20th century. Here, the subject is dark with a golden yellow background, as if the sun is shining on the back of the figure. The foliage and subtle brushstrokes give the impression of a somewhat barren grassy field.

I show this portrait because it shows art at the tail end of the time period of the other portraits of the late 19th century. Though not a self-portrait, the artist has captured the personality of his subject without forcing a formal pose.

Self-Portrait (1943), le Doux

I include this self-portrait by Charles Picart le Doux in comparison the that of Édouard Manet. Like Manet, le Doux painted self-portraits, portraits of family and friends, still lifes, landscapes, and even murals. His work also reminds me of Impressionists Paul Cezanne and Paul Gauguin (above), obviously with a more limited palette!

With a simple diagonal line, he suggests that he's working on a canvas.

Please note that I purposely excluded the artists who are more well-known for painting self-portraits -- specifically Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Frida Kahlo.